Apparatus for manufacturing nitrous compounds.



PTENTED JULY 28, 1908.

Y c. P. sT'BIA11\AEU."Z. APPARATUS PUR .MANUFACTURING NITR'UUS-UUMPUUNDS.

'APPL'IoATfIoAL FYILUD MAR. 19A, 19`o1.

I/T/-TNEESE:

AMAA

INA/METZ.

AT FIQE,

CHARLES P'. STEINMETZ, OF SCHENECTDY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY. A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK;

APPARATUS Fon MANUFAc'rUnING nrraous COMPOUNDS.'

Specification of Letters Patent.'

Patented July 2s, i908;

Applicationiled March 19, 1907. Serial No. 363,267.

To ali whom it Amay concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES I. STEIN- METZ, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forManufacturing Nitrous Compounds, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has reference to improvements in apparatus for themanufacture of nitrous compounds from atmospheric air by exposing theair to the action of electric arcs of minimum volumeand greatestpracticable length in such manner as to prevent the subsequentdissociation of the compounds that have been produced. Since an arc ofsuch small volume as is required for the efficient Workingof suchprocessrepresents only very little energy and cannot be continuouslymaintained in a reliable manner, it is necessary to employ a large-number of arcs simultaneously which, when established, are'of shortlength and are then drawn out to their maximum .length until they break;the arcs are thent again established and drawn out until they break, andthis process is repeated in rapid and continuoussuccession, while theair whichis subjected to the action of the arcs is driven to and pastthe arcs in a continuous stream, thus removing the nitrous compoundswhich have been formed as rapidly as possible from the further actionofthe arcs, whereby the dissociation of the 4compounds is prevented. f

Heretofore it has been deemed lnecessary to establish each of thenumerous arcs either in an independent circuit or in a separate branchof a main circuit, and in either case, the expense of the apparatus wasgreat land the complexity of the same considerable. The potential of thearc circuit is necessarily high, since the longest possible arc is aimedat, and since for mechanical reasons the arc must be established withoutactual initial physical contact of the electrodes. For independent arccircuits, therefore, it was necessary to have either a high potentialgenerator with a great number of inde endent generating eoilsor a lowpotentia generator with many independent generating coils and inaddition thereto as many independent step-up transformers. In eithercase, the apparatus was expensive and complex. W'hen the arcs wereplaced in multiple branches of a high potential main circuit 1t wasnecessary 'to equip each branch-with a reaction coil in order'to preventone arc fromv short-circuiting all the others for it is inthe nature ofthings that one arc-willform before the others, and the resistance ofthe branch in which the arc is first formed Will at once be loweredbelow the resistance'of the other.

tended the former practice are avoided and the expense of the apparatusis considerablyV reduced. y

My invention involvesthe use of amultiphase (preferably a three-phase)enerator of medium potential, and of .the or inary kind, and a singlethree-phase step-u i transformer .having the inde endent secon arywindings for each phase divided in open sections which are closed uponeach other by two arcs for each section, so that all of the arcs Jfed byone phase are in series When these arcs are broken, the arcs fed by thenext phase of current areestablished, and these are in turn replaced bythe arcs fed by the third phase. In this manner an ordinary three-phasegentransformer, take the place of the complicated apparatus formerlyused. The arcestablishing device, however, must be modified to rovidefor. the condition that each phase of) current shallfeed a separategroup or set of numerous arcs in series.

In the accompanying drawing one'form of my invention is illustrated asfollowsz-Figing an elevation of the electric generator and of thenitrous compound producer, the latter being Apartly in section, andshowing the transformer in diagram, and Figi 2 is alsec- -erator and asingle 3 phase, slightly modiied -ure 1 is a general view of theapparatus showtional end view of a part of the interior of the nitrouscompound producer, the section being taken on line X X of Fig. 1.-

tLike letters of reference indicate like parts. The t-hree-phasealternating current generator G, which maybe assumed inthe present caseto have twent -four (24) field poles, is driven by a` suitab e power andhas its shaftH extended, and u on the' extended part of the shaft iskeye an insulating or insulated sleeve I from which three setsof radialarms, A', A, A3, B', B2, B3, C', C2, C3, extend.' These armsrare notnecessarily. made of insulatin material, but if made of. metal theyshould e coated with acid-proof material which would naturall be also aninsulator; or they should be ma e of a metal'that is not attacked byacids. The construction here shown provides for twentyour (24) radialarms for each set, correspondin to the twenty-four (24) field polesassume for the generator, and at the free ends of these arms' are fixedthe staples A'1, A21, A241, B'1, B21, B241, C1, C21, C241, which arepreferably'made of platinum or copper.

Fixedly mounted upon the bearings of the extended shaft. H is a drum D,which may be of glass or porcelain or other` acid-proof and insulatingmaterial, and the sets of radial arms with the staples at their freeends rotate within the drum. The free points ofthe staplesare turnedtoward the inner wallfof the `drum D, and in the plane of rotation-ofeach of these free points 1s a series ofpins fixed in the wall of thedrum and pro'ecting inwardly within a short distance of t e sweep of thepoints of the staples; so that there are six (6) rows of pins whichconstitute or are connected with the terminals of a sectionaltransformer, as will presently appear.

The three-phase constant current generator G delivers its current to theprimaries Pa, Pb, Pc, of thethree-phase ste -up transformer T, asindicated, and the t ree phases of the secondary current are separatedin the independent secondaries Sa, Sb, Se, which are disconnected fromeach other, and each is divided into sections, in the present instanceinto twenty-four (24) sections, the terminals of which are constitutedby or are connected with the six (6) rows of pms projecting into thedrumD. The terminals of the twentyfour (24) sections of S1; are marked a1 a'1, c, a' a2, @'21, respectively; the terminals of the-twenty-four (24)sections of Sb' are marked b1 6'1, b, b'2, 6211)'21, respectively; andthe terminals of the twenty-four (24) sections of SC are marked c1 c 1,c2 'c'2, c2, c",1, respectively. These terminals are so arranged in thedrum D with reference 'to the Staples at the free ends of the radialar'ms that for each phase the outgoing terminal'of one section is, ormay be, brldffed by a staple A onto Athe incoming terminal of the nextsucceeding section. Thus, for the independent secondary coil Sa theoutgoing terminal a/1 of the first section and the incoming terminal a2of the second section are or may be bridged by any of the staples ofthe-A order; similarly a', and a,3 may be bridged by a staple of the Aorder, or the outgoing terminal @'21 and the incoming terminal a1 may bebridged by a staple of the A order. in the same manner the terminals ofthe sections ofthe independent secondary coils Sb and Sic are, or maybe, bridged by the staples of the B order and C order, respectively.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the sections of the threeindependent secondary coils are or may be bridged by the staples of oneorder, and when so bridged, the sections of each secondary coil areconnected in a closed series. The length of the radial arms,

the size of the staples and the length of the pins which constitute theterminals are, however, so chosen that actual contact between thestaples and the terminals is not -made, but that an arc passing fromterminal to staple and from staple to terminal may close the seriesconnection between the sections of each independent vsecondary coil. Theair gapsinthe secondary circuits are, therefore,

1n the operationof ,the apparatus bridged by electric arcs.

The'radial arms of each order are spaced 15O apart, but the arms of theB order are shifted with reference to those of the A order by 5o and thearms of the C order are shifted in the same direction by 5.o withreference to the arms of the B order, so that each set ofv sta les andterminals is so chosen that an arc wil be established between them whenthe H rising voltage in the secondary of the transformer has attained acertain rather low value. Consequently, the position of the arm-carryingsleeve I upon the extensionof the shaft H must be such that thecoincidence between the staples of the A .order with the terminals ofthe a order shall occur at the moment when the predetermined voltage ofone of three currents develo ed in the secondaries of the transformer asbeen reached, and the coincidence between the sta les and terminals ofthe other two sets wil then occur at the moments whe `the samepredetermined voltage of the two other currents is attained. 1

Assuming now that the staples of the A order just coincide with theterminals of the a order when the voltage in Sa attains itspredetermined value (this being the condition that must be observed),arcs will be established in the forty-eight (48) air gaps between thestaples and terminals of these orders, and as theradial arms, by theirrota* tion, recede from` this coincidence, the fortyeight (48) arcswil11be lengthened until they eener? finally break. At the same moment,or rather closely following it, there will be coincidence betweenthestaples of the B order and the terminals of the l) order, just at thetime when the voltage in Sb attains its redetermin'ed value, wherebyforty-eight 48) new arcs will beformed, which will lengthen and break;and immediately after this, forty-eight (4S) new arcs will beestablished, lengthened and broken between the staples oi' the C orderand the terminals of the c order. This cycle of operation will now be recatedv over and over again so long as-the vo tage of the generator issuitably maintained. In the example here given there will, to

each complete rotation of the shaft H, be Jformed, lengthened and brokenthree thousand four hundred and fifty-six (3456) arcs, which, actingupon the air in the drum D will cause the oxidation of the nitrogen,forming nitrous compounds in a cheap and expedi# tions manner.

y The air 1s continuously drawn or pumped into the drum through theopening K and is continuously withdrawn, together with the nitrouscompounds, by a pipe L; but the appliant-.es for this purpose and forthe collection lof the nitrous compounds are not here shown, since theseare well known in the art' and form no part oi' my invention.

While l have here shown a three-phase generator and correspondingtransformer and, consequently, three series of air-gaps, lit is evidentthat a two-phase generator and corresponding transformer and,consequently, two series of Vair gaps may be employed; it is alsoevident that a larger number of phases maybe employed and thatthebeneiit derived I from the series arrangement ofthe air gaps is stillobtained if a single phase current is used. Moreover, the high tensioncurrents for the establishment of the arcs in series may be obtainedwithout the useof a step-up transformer.

That l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent' of theUnited States, is,- l. The combination with an air chamber, of a hightension circuit or circuits traversing the same and having air gaps inseries within the chamber, and means for bridging the gaps by electricarcs, substantially as described. Y

2. The combination with an' air chamber, oi a high tension circuit orcircuitstraversing the saine and having air gapsin series within thechamber, means for establishing electric arcs in the air gaps, and meansfor lengthening and breaking the arcs, substantially as described.

3. The combination of an air chamber with a number oi independent hightension electric circuits traversing the same, each hav ing a number oiair ga s in series within the chamber, and means or periodicallyestablishing, lengthenin and breaking the electric arcs in the series oair ga s in recurrent succession, lsubstantially as escribed.

4. The combination ci an air chamber and a number of independentcircuits traversing the same, Aeach having Ia number of air gaps inseries Within the chamber, a prime generator of multiphase currents,means for im o sing a high potential upon the indepen ent circuits inperiodic succession by and in the order of the phases of the generator,and

means for bridging the series of air gaps with electric` arcs in thesame periodic' succession substantially as describe f 5. The combinationof an air chamber and a number of independent circuits traversing thesame each having a-number of air gaps 'in series within the chamber, alowpotential multi-phase current generator, va -step-up transformer forinductively char ing the chamber circuits with high potentia by 'and' inthe order of thephases'of the generator,

and means 'for establishing, lengthening and breaking the electric arcs1n the dierent series ot air ga s in the order of. successionot1 thephases o the generator,` substantially as described.

6. An ap aratus for .producing nitrous compounds rom atmospheric air,contaming a chamber through which a continuous air currentv can bemaintained, one or more high tension circuits traversing the chamber andhaving air gaps in series within the chamber, and means for bridging thegaps by electric arcs, substantially as described.

7. An' .ap' aratus for producing nitrous -compounds rom atmospheric air,containing a chamber through which a continuous current ofair can bemaintained, one or more high tension circuits traversing the chamber andhaving air gaps in series within the chamber, means for establishinelectric arcs in the air gaps, and means for lengthening thearcs to thebreaking point, substantially as described. l

S. An apparatus for manufacturing nitrous compounds -from atmos hericair, containing a chamber through wiiich a continuous current of air canbe maintained, a number of independent high tension electric circuitstraversing the chamber, each having a number of air 4gaps in seriesWithin the chamber, and means for periodically establishing,

roo

series Within the chamber, a prime generator of multi-phase currents,means for imposing a high potential upon the independent cir-v CII cuitsin periodic succession by and in the order of the phases of the`lgenerator, and means` for bridging the series of air gaps by electricarcs in the same periodic succession, substantially as described.

10. An apparatus for manufacturing nitrous compounds from atmosphericair, containing a chamber through Which a continuous current of air canbe maintained7 a number of independent circuits traversing the chamber,each havlng a number of air gaps Within the chamber, a loW potentialmulti- `phase current generator, a step-up trans- 11. In an apparatusfor manufacturing nitrous vcompounds from atmospheric air, thecombination of a low potential multi-phase generator, a multi-phasestep-up transformer having an independent secondary for each phase ofthe generator, each of said second aries having a series of air gaps ina through which a current of air can be 11i-intained.7 rotating gapvbridges Wl'iereby 'thc 3u gaps of the different series are shortenei'lto the arc establisning distance and loi'igthened/ to the arc breakingdistance in the periodic succession 'f the phases oft' the genera/tor,substantially as described.

In Witness vv'hereoi'7 have hereunto setl my hand this 18th (layo'fMarch, 1907. l

l CHARLES P. STEINMETZ.

Witnesses BENJAMiN Bi HULL, HELEN Onroiu).

